


kiss & tell

by mothraesthetic (burritosong)



Series: 30 day otp challenge [14]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gender Issues, M/M, Makeup, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 07:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6319363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burritosong/pseuds/mothraesthetic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lev starts experimenting with his gender expression, and Yaku tries to be as supportive as he can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	kiss & tell

**Author's Note:**

> 30 day otp challenge, day 14: gender ~~swapped~~ expression. Shoutout to good onion Adam for helping me come up with something for today.
> 
> featuring trans boy Yaku and experimenting Lev

It starts with nail polish. A very light pink, barely noticeable if Yaku hadn’t been staring at Lev’s hands, and very similar to the shade that Kenma was wearing the week before.

He doesn’t say anything.

He doesn’t say anything when Lev starts doodling flowers on his sneakers. He doesn’t say anything when the barely noticeable pink nail polish turns into louder, bolder colors. He doesn’t say anything when he shows up to Lev’s for a study date and it looks like Lev has pilfered his sister’s closet for his outfit that day.

It’s not that he doesn’t _want_ to say something. He does, he really does, because he cares a lot for Lev and that isn’t going to change just because Lev starts dressing and presenting differently. He just isn’t good with words, despite Lev’s erroneous insistence that he’s good at everything (he really isn’t), and the closest he ever gets is an awkward, “You know I’m always okay with you, right?”

It’s honestly so groan-inducing that Yaku gives up trying and hopes that his silent acceptance of Lev’s continued sartorial experimentation will be enough.

But then he sees it. On Lev’s desk, next to a small mirror. A tube of that icky sticky, artificially flavored lip gloss that comes cheap from the drug store and that every middle school girl owns.

He has to do something, because he knows it’s inevitable that Lev is going to wear it at some point. Just like it’s inevitable that Lev is going to want to kiss him while wearing it at some point. Yaku’s had more (kiss-smeared) lipstick on his face in the last few weeks than he’d thought he’d ever wear again, and while he was okay–is okay–with that, he draws the line at that cheap lip gloss.

Probably because that kind of cheap lip gloss is so sticky he can still feel the memory of wearing it stick on his lips years after he’d last worn any, not to mention the taste of it.

Never again, he promises himself with a shudder.

“We’re going to the store,” he announces, not caring that he and Lev are supposed to be studying.

“Huh?” Lev looks up at him, comically surprised at his outburst.

Yaku’s already standing, slamming his book shut. “Come on,” he says, tugging Lev after him. “I’m taking you shopping.”

He keeps a firm hold on Lev’s arm the entire way to the store, not letting go until they’ve marched inside and are standing next to a rack of lip products. The display promises “24-Hour, Long-Lasting Color.” Yaku grabs a few shades that he thinks would probably look good on Lev and shoves them into his hands, and then takes his arm and leads him to the make up remover because soap and water probably won’t work on the stuff.

While he’s picking out a cleaner, he notices Lev eyeing some waterproof mascara and sighs because he can he’s about to drop more money on makeup in a day than he’d thought he’d spend in a lifetime.

He grabs a basket and hands it to Lev.

“Just…don’t go too crazy, okay? You can get a few things, but not a lot.” He says, knowing full-well that his definition of a lot is vastly different from Lev’s. “My treat,” he adds.

Lev stares at him with wide eyes, looking like some cross between a deer stuck in headlights and a kid in a candy store.

“Really?” he asks, in a small, quiet voice that Yaku’s never heard before.

“Really,” Yaku assures him. “Just promise me you’ll throw away that gross, cheap lip gloss on your desk when we get back, okay?”

“But…it has a magic eight ball in the cap,” Lev whines.

Yaku huffs. Of course Lev would pick his make up based off whether or not it could tell him his fortune.

“Just don’t wear it when we’re going to kiss,” he compromises. “I hate that stuff.”

“Okay!” And with that, Lev’s hesitation is broken, and he turns gleefully towards a rack. “Look! This says it’s guaranteed for all-day wear,” he says, sounding like he’s just discovered the fountain of youth. “ _Oooh_ –and this one comes in purple!”

Yaku winces, realizing all too late that he’s probably created a monster, but he follows Lev around the store anyway, trying to offer advice as best as he can while keeping a wary eye on the growing amount of product in Lev’s basket.

Lev pales when they check out, blanching at the total, but Yaku just waves him off, swipes his card, and makes sure to stuff the receipt in his wallet so Lev can’t return anything.

“My treat,” he reminds Lev, when Lev tries to hand over his small amount of allowance to pay him back. “Just make sure you make it last, because I can’t afford to do this every week. But if you really want to pay me back, I can think of a few things we can do…”

It turns out that Lev’s new lipstick absolutely does not smear, fade, or transfer, no matter what Lev does while wearing it, much to both their delight.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't be the only one who had Hard Candy fortune telling lip gloss back in the day. I had it in "Kismet" which was some kind of coral-y red, and all I remember about it is that it tasted terrible, was sticky as all get out, and the little fortune telling magic 8 ball thing got stuck after about a day so I barely got to use it. It turned me off of lip gloss forever.


End file.
